Automatic telephone dial illuminator



1931- c. P. SPRINGFIELD AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIAL ILLUMINATOR Filed Jan.7, 1931 Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE GARLAND P,SPRING-FIELD, F EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF 1'0 O. N.ELLIATT, 0F VANDERBUBGH COUNTY, INDIANA.

AUTOIATIC DELETE ONE DIAL ILLUMINATOB Application filed January 7, 1881.Serial No. 507,223.

Users of telephones, particularly public normal position of-thepartsiand dotted lines telephones, experience difiiculty in reading theletters and numerals on the dial of a dial system telephone, when thetelephone is in a booth or unlighted location.

My object is to provide a simple and inexpensive attachment for asubscribers telephone which may be readily attached to the column of thetelephone and will be adapted to co operate with the hook of thetelephone in such manner that when the receiver is removed from thehook, the device will be automatically conditioned to illuminate thedial and when the receiver is restored on the hook, the illuminatingdevice will be extinguished.

With this object in view, the invention eontemplates the provision ofmeans carried by a subscribers dial telephone whichis adapted toco-operate with the receiver-suspending hook, and movable dialilluminating means co-operating therewith, whereby the dial illuminatingmeans is latched in retracted position and the electric light carriedthereby is extinguished when the receiver is on the hook but, ontheother hand, when the receiver is. taken off of the hook, the dialilluminating means will be released and will automatically positionitself to establish an electric circuit to the lamp it carries so thatthe lamp will illuminate the dial.

The invention is susceptible of modification and I do not, therefore,limit myself to the details of construction, nor to the particular dialilluminating movable device, hereinafter set fortlnand which is shown inthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a subscribers dial telephone equippedwith my improvements, full lines showing the normal position oftneparts, and dotted lines their position. when the receiver is removedfrom the hook and the dial is beingilluminated;

' (Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device by itself, certain parts being insection;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof;and

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the device, partly in section, fulllines showing the the dial-illuminating position thereof.

An ordinary subscribers telephone is shown at 1 as having thereceiver-holding hook 2, which appears in section, and the dial 3 bywhich the subscriber calls the central office of exchange.

There is a clamping band 4 having sections hinged at 5 and-whose partsare secured together at 6, said band carrying the operative parts of thepresent invention.

Extending outwardly from the band 4 are arms 7 to one of which ispivoted at 8, a latch 9 which has a cam head 10 adapted to co-operatewith the hook 2 in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The latch 9has a tooth 11. A spring 12 which co-operates with the latch and withthe lug 13 on the band or clamp 4, rocks the latch 9 to cause the camhead 10 to overlie the hook 2 when the receiver is on the hook, as shownin Fig. 1 but said spring yields when the receiver is removed from thehook 2 so that the said hook 2 cams the head 10 to one side, as'shown inFig. 2. This operation of the latch 9 determines the operation and useof the illuminating device which is shown, generally, at 14.

The illuminating device 14 comprises a small frame which is hinged tothe arms 7. at 15; an electric bulb 16 carried by the frame; switch orcontact members 17 which are in circuit with the bulb 16, as shown at18; and ratchet teeth 19 which are adapted to be engaged by the hook 11.

A spring 20 which co-operates with lugs 21 and 22, respectively, on theclamp 4 and the frame 14, tends to hold the frame in.horizontalposition, as shown in Fig. 2, with the steps 23 and 24 on the arms 7 andframe 14 in abutment with each other and the switch member 17 inelectrical contact with a companion switch member 25 carried by one ofthe arms 7 However, when the frame 14: is pressed downwardly, as shownin Fig. 1, if the receiver hook 2 is down, as when it is holding thereceiver, one of the teeth 19 engages the hook 11 and is held therebybecause the cam head 10 then overlies the hook 2.

When the receiver is removed from its book 2, it cams back the head 10against the action of spring 12, disengaging the hook 11 from the tooth19, whereupon the spring 20 snaps the illuminating device 14: to thehorizontal position shown in Fig. 2. This brings the electric contacts17 and 25 into engagement so that current from any suitable source suchas an electric lamp socket or a battery, enterin from the wires 26,causes the lamp 16 t0 ecome illuminated and the rays therefrom pass downthrough the light. opening 27 in the bottom of the frame 14,

brilliantly illuminating the dial 3.

A card holder 28 may be provided on the end of the frame 14, if desired.

When the receiver is restored to the hook 2, the latch 9 is freed fromthe hook 2, whereupon the spring 12 brings the latch to the positionshown in Fig. 1. The subscriber may then swing down the frame 14 whichwill break contact between the swinging members 17 and 25 and extinguishthe lamp 16. The teeth 19 ride over the hook 11 and said hook preventsthe spring 20 from again elevatin the frame 14 until the receiver isagain ta 'en off of the hook 2.

What I-claim is:

1. The combination with a subscribers dial telephone, of aspring-actuated dial illuminator movably mounted on said telephone andadapted to automatically shift from illuminating to non-illuminatingposition when released, and means controlled by the receiver hook of thetelephone which co-operates with the dial illuminator to hold it inretracted,

. non-illuminating position when the hook is depressed and to release itwhen the hook is free, thereby enabling the dial illuminator toautomatically shift to illuminating position.

2. The combination with a subscribers dial telephone, of a clamp engagedvdth the column thereof, a dial illuminator hinged to the clamp andadapted to swing from ineffective to efiective position, an electricbulb carried by said dial illuminator, ratchet teeth carried by the dialilluminator, a spring for swinging the dial illuminator into effectiveposition when said dial illuminator is released, electric switch memberscarried by the clamp and by the dial illuminator adapted to establishelectrical connection to the clamp when the dial illuminator is inefi'ective position and to break said connection when it is inineffective position, a spring-actuated latch having a hook adapted toco-operate with the ratchet teeth to hold the dial illuminator inineffective position and having a cam-head adapted to co-operate withthe receiver hook of the telephone, and spring means for shifting thedial illuminator to effective position when the said hook is disengagedfrom said ratchet teeth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GARLAND P. SPRINGFIELD.

